“ What good is an idol carved by man, or a cast image that deceives you? How foolish to trust in your own creation— a god that can’t even talk!

雕刻的偶像，人将它刻出来，有什么益处呢？铸造的偶像就是虚谎的师傅。制造者倚靠这哑巴偶像有什么益处呢？

偶像有什么益处呢？制造者雕刻它，铸成偶像，作虚假的教师；制造者倚靠的是自己所做的哑巴偶像。

偶像有什么益处呢？制造者雕刻它，铸成偶像，作虚假的教师；制造者倚靠的是自己所做的哑巴偶像。

“雕刻的偶像有什么益处？骗人的铸像有什么用处？制造者竟信靠自己造的哑巴偶像！

雕刻的像有什么用处呢？不过是匠人雕刻出来的；铸造的像、虚假的教师，有什么用处呢？匠人竟倚靠自己所做，那不能说话的假神。

雕刻的偶像，人將它刻出來，有甚麼益處呢？鑄造的偶像就是虛謊的師傅。製造者倚靠這啞巴偶像有甚麼益處呢？

偶像有甚麼益處呢？製造者雕刻它，鑄成偶像，作虛假的教師；製造者倚靠的是自己所做的啞巴偶像。

偶像有甚麼益處呢？製造者雕刻它，鑄成偶像，作虛假的教師；製造者倚靠的是自己所做的啞巴偶像。

「雕刻的偶像有什麼益處？騙人的鑄像有什麼用處？製造者竟信靠自己造的啞巴偶像！

雕刻的像有甚麼用處呢？不過是匠人雕刻出來的；鑄造的像、虛假的教師，有甚麼用處呢？匠人竟倚靠自己所做，那不能說話的假神。

雕刻的偶像、塑造它的將它刻成、有甚麼益處？鑄造的偶像、虛假的導師、塑造它的將它塑成、造座啞巴神像去倚靠它、有甚麼益處？

工師雕像、於製造者何益之有、鑄偶乃偽師、製造者恃此喑啞之像、何益之有、

工人雕木偶、鑄金像、俱屬虛偽、口不能言、作之者亦賴之、何益之有、

工人雕刻之偶像、何益之有、鑄像與偽師、偽師或作述虛誑之師何益之有、工人作不能言之偶像、賴己所作者、何益之有、或作工人所雕刻之偶像所鎔鑄之偶像虛偽不能應所作之偶像口不能言作之者賴之何益之有

“ Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak.

“ If someone carves a statue of a god, what is it worth? What value is there in a god that teaches lies? The one who trusts in this kind of god worships his own creation. He makes statues of gods that can’t speak.

“ What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!

What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes worthless idols that cannot speak.

“ What benefit is a carved image when its maker has carved it, Or a cast metal image, a teacher of falsehood? For its maker trusts in his own handiwork When he fashions speechless idols.

“ What profit is the image, that its maker should carve it, The molded image, a teacher of lies, That the maker of its mold should trust in it, To make mute idols?

What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it? It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies. For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak.

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

What good is an idol? Why would a craftsman make it? What good is a metal image that gives misleading oracles? Why would its creator place his trust in it and make such mute, worthless things?

“ What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?

People who worship idols are stupid and foolish. The things they worship are made of wood!

But those who trust in idols, who say,‘ You are our gods,’ will be turned away in shame.

How foolish are those who manufacture idols. These prized objects are really worthless. The people who worship idols don’t know this, so they are all put to shame.Who but a fool would make his own god— an idol that cannot help him one bit?

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe.And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands.They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see.They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell.They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound.And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.

Household gods give worthless advice, fortune tellers predict only lies, and interpreters of dreams pronounce falsehoods that give no comfort. So my people are wandering like lost sheep; they are attacked because they have no shepherd.

You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols.

All craftsmen who make idols will be humiliated. They will all be disgraced together.

To an image carved from a piece of wood they say,‘ You are my father.’ To an idol chiseled from a block of stone they say,‘ You are my mother.’ They turn their backs on me, but in times of trouble they cry out to me,‘ Come and save us!’But why not call on these gods you have made? When trouble comes, let them save you if they can! For you have as many gods as there are towns in Judah.

One day while he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, his sons Adrammelech and Sharezer killed him with their swords. They then escaped to the land of Ararat, and another son, Esarhaddon, became the next king of Assyria.

Bel and Nebo, the gods of Babylon, bow as they are lowered to the ground. They are being hauled away on ox carts. The poor beasts stagger under the weight.Both the idols and their owners are bowed down. The gods cannot protect the people, and the people cannot protect the gods. They go off into captivity together.

The whole human race is foolish and has no knowledge! The craftsmen are disgraced by the idols they make, for their carefully shaped works are a fraud. These idols have no breath or power.Idols are worthless; they are ridiculous lies! On the day of reckoning they will all be destroyed.

The strongest among you will disappear like straw; their evil deeds will be the spark that sets it on fire. They and their evil works will burn up together, and no one will be able to put out the fire.

Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies.

Then I saw another beast come up out of the earth. He had two horns like those of a lamb, but he spoke with the voice of a dragon.He exercised all the authority of the first beast. And he required all the earth and its people to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.He did astounding miracles, even making fire flash down to earth from the sky while everyone was watching.And with all the miracles he was allowed to perform on behalf of the first beast, he deceived all the people who belong to this world. He ordered the people to make a great statue of the first beast, who was fatally wounded and then came back to life.He was then permitted to give life to this statue so that it could speak. Then the statue of the beast commanded that anyone refusing to worship it must die.

He cuts down cedars; he selects the cypress and the oak; he plants the pine in the forest to be nourished by the rain.Then he uses part of the wood to make a fire. With it he warms himself and bakes his bread. Then— yes, it’s true— he takes the rest of it and makes himself a god to worship! He makes an idol and bows down in front of it!He burns part of the tree to roast his meat and to keep himself warm. He says,“ Ah, that fire feels good.”Then he takes what’s left and makes his god: a carved idol! He falls down in front of it, worshiping and praying to it.“ Rescue me!” he says.“ You are my god!”Such stupidity and ignorance! Their eyes are closed, and they cannot see. Their minds are shut, and they cannot think.The person who made the idol never stops to reflect,“ Why, it’s just a block of wood! I burned half of it for heat and used it to bake my bread and roast my meat. How can the rest of it be a god? Should I bow down to worship a piece of wood?”The poor, deluded fool feeds on ashes. He trusts something that can’t help him at all. Yet he cannot bring himself to ask,“ Is this idol that I’m holding in my hand a lie?”

“ Gather together and come, you fugitives from surrounding nations. What fools they are who carry around their wooden idols and pray to gods that cannot save!

And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom.

Their ways are futile and foolish. They cut down a tree, and a craftsman carves an idol.They decorate it with gold and silver and then fasten it securely with hammer and nails so it won’t fall over.Their gods are like helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field! They cannot speak, and they need to be carried because they cannot walk. Do not be afraid of such gods, for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.”

And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.

And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast— miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

This man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.He will use every kind of evil deception to fool those on their way to destruction, because they refuse to love and accept the truth that would save them.So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.

This is what the Lord says:“ Tell the whole world, and keep nothing back. Raise a signal flag to tell everyone that Babylon will fall! Her images and idols will be shattered. Her gods Bel and Marduk will be utterly disgraced.

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

Some people pour out their silver and gold and hire a craftsman to make a god from it. Then they bow down and worship it!They carry it around on their shoulders, and when they set it down, it stays there. It can’t even move! And when someone prays to it, there is no answer. It can’t rescue anyone from trouble.“ Do not forget this! Keep it in mind! Remember this, you guilty ones.